Vijayamma challenges Naidu on seats for BCs

Terming TDP president N.Chandrababu Naidu’s BC Declaration a gimmick to gain power in the 2014 polls, YSR Congress honorary president YS Vijayalakshmi has challenged him to support her proposal for `reservation’ of 100 seats in the state legislature for BCs instead of fielding BCs from “non-potential” constituencies if Naidu is really committed to the political empowerment of BCs.

In an open letter to Naidu on Sunday, Vijayamma said that her party wanted to field BCs in 100 general-category constituencies so as not to do injustice to SCs, STs and minorities. “The TDP and the YSRCP should identify 100 general constituencies to allot tickets exclusively to BCs, excluding those constituencies which are dominated by SCs, STs and minorities. Naidu should accept my proposal if his love for BCs is real,’’ she said.
“If you are ready to allot tickets to BCs from general constituencies, come, let us sit together and identify those segments by draw of lots. If our two parties take a decision in this regard, the Congress and other parties will follow suit.”

The YSRCP was ready to allot 100 constituencies to BCs in the 2014 polls, she said and added that she was making the promise on behalf of her son YS Jagan Mohan Reddy who is the party president.

“Though Naidu had promised to field BCs in 100 constituencies in the 2009 polls, he fielded only 47. In comparison, my husband YS Rajasekhara Reddy allotted 67 seats to BCs then,” Vijayamma recalled.